1. Technical Field
The subject matter relates generally to “location-based” services. More specifically, the subject matter is in the area of determining the location of the user, e.g., by detecting whether a user is substantially stationary within a geo-fence.
2. Description of Related Art
Before the advent of the GPS sensor-enabled devices, it was difficult to determine the exact location of a user even when the user was stationary. The advancements in smartphones (and other mobile devices) with GPS sensors have made it possible to determine the location of the user without user intervention. That said, currently-available solutions require the GPS sensor of the mobile device to be turned ON all the times to determine the location of the user, even when the user is stationary. Keeping the GPS sensor turned on reduces the battery life of the phone, often making the device unusable after just a few hours. Indeed, the burden associated with finding a power source, often in the very middle of the day, may also lead the user to proactively turn off the GPS sensor on the smartphone, thus rendering location-based services unavailable.